Diamond Facts

Fancy blue diamond

When boron particles become trapped in a diamond’s crystal matrix, the result can be a stunning blue diamond. The overwhelming majority of blue diamonds are called a Type IIb diamond. This means that the diamond has few, if any, nitrogen impurities. The percentage of blue diamonds mined each year is truly negligible, with just a few stones recovered each year annually. In fact, less than a tenth of a percent (0.10%) of all graded fancy color diamonds are rare blues (Type IIb).

Less rare are the diamonds that show a blue color show a blue tone due to the hydrogen contained in the gem, or Type Ia, However, these diamonds are always classified with a color modifier and generally referred to in gemological grading reports as gray-violet or gray-blue.